All requests for accommodations must be submitted in SSD Online by January 24, 2025.
We’ve designed digital AP Exams so all students can take them, including those with approved accommodations. As always, students may only use accommodations they’ve been approved for by the College Board Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) office.
NEW: The information on this page applies to fully digital and hybrid digital exam subjects in 2025.
AP coordinators and SSD coordinators should review digital AP Exam accommodations details in this section and discuss this year’s testing options with students who plan to test with College Board–approved accommodations.
For questions about accommodations for digital AP Exams, contact the College Board SSD office.
AP Computer Science Principles: There are specific guidelines regarding the Personalized Project Reference for students taking the AP Computer Science Principles Exam with certain accommodations, including braille, large print, and screen readers.
In AP Registration and Ordering, AP coordinators will need to review and confirm students’ accommodations listed for digital AP Exams and can also waive students’ accommodations if they don’t want to take a digital AP Exam with accommodations. Details about this step of ongoing exam order management will be provided in the AP Coordinator’s Manual, Part 2.
Many accommodations work the same way for digital exams as they do for paper exams. For example, students who are approved for extended time will receive a digital exam enabled with their approved amount of extended time per section/or part of the exam.
Some accommodations differ for digital testing because of features available in the Bluebook testing app. For example, students approved for large-print test books won’t need separate exam materials. They can take the digital exam with an increased font size by zooming in to enlarge the content as needed.
Students don’t need to submit new accommodations requests to use a digital alternative for an accommodation they’ve already received College Board approval for. For example, a student approved for a human reader doesn’t require additional/new approvals to test using a screen reader with a digital exam. However, if a student needs to take a digital exam using a human reader or human writer/scribe, their SSD coordinator must submit a request in SSD Online for this accommodation by January 24, 2025.
For digital AP Exams, AP coordinators don’t need to complete a Nonstandard Administration Report (NAR) for students testing with accommodations.
Review this list to learn how common testing accommodations will work for this year’s digital AP Exams, including designated digital alternatives for accommodations.
Students will receive their approved amount of extended time within the digital exam. Extended time will be applied per section and/or part of the exam based on the student’s specific approval.
Students approved for extra breaks will receive an exam with an extra five-minute break applied midway through each section.
Students approved for extended breaks will receive an exam with twice the time of the regularly scheduled break applied between Section I and Section II of the exam.
Students approved for extra and extended breaks will receive an exam with twice the time of regularly scheduled and extra breaks applied.
Students approved for breaks as needed will receive an exam that allows them to pause their exam to take breaks as needed. The pause feature is below the timer.
Note: Braille exams will be available for students with an approved accommodation who are unable to test using a computer. A student must be approved for both a braille accommodation and a paper testing accommodation for the AP coordinator to be able to order a braille format of a digital exam subject.
Note:
For a digital AP Exam, braille writing software should be used. If a student uses a manual braille writer and/or does not have access to braille writing software, they can:
Students will be able to take digital exams using their device’s functions (control +/- or command +/-) to zoom in and out.
Students can use the color settings available through their operating system and/or device screen, or they can use a plastic overlay attached to their device’s screen.
Students approved for a human reader may:
Students approved for a human reader accommodation will receive a digital exam formatted to work with screen reader applications. If a student needs to take their digital AP Exam with a human reader, their SSD coordinator should submit the request in SSD Online by January 24, 2025. If the request must be made after January 24 due to a change in a student’s accommodations status, contact the College Board SSD office as soon as possible.
If a student is taking a digital AP Exam and will test with a human reader, all reader criteria and requirements apply.
Students approved for a human reader will receive an exam format enabled with time and one-half (+50%) extended time.
Note:
Students approved for a writer/scribe may:
Students approved for a writer/scribe accommodation will receive a digital exam formatted to work with speech-to-text applications. If a student needs to take their digital AP Exam with a human writer/scribe, their SSD coordinator should submit the request in SSD Online by January 24, 2025. If the request must be made after January 24 due to a change in a student’s accommodations status, contact the College Board SSD office as soon as possible.
If a student is taking a digital AP Exam and will test with a human writer/scribe, all writer/scribe criteria and requirements apply.
Students approved for a writer/scribe will receive an exam format enabled with time and one-half (+50%) extended time.
Note:
Students will be able to take a digital exam using approved assistive technology software. Some types of assistive technology may require specific configuration steps to be done before the student tests. Review details about necessary configurations for different types of assistive technology and share this information prior to the exam administration with students who will be testing using assistive technology.
On exam day, after checking in to the Bluebook testing app (and before entering the room code), students will be able to access configuration instructions through the Help menu and complete any configuration steps if needed before beginning the exam.
Students approved for an ATC format may test using an accessible format of the digital exam in Bluebook.
Note: ATC-format exams are not available for fully digital or hybrid digital exam subjects.
Students approved for computer word processing (essays only) may:
Students approved by the College Board SSD office for use of a 4-function calculator may use one for the AP Computer Science Principles Exam or the AP Computer Science A Exam.
Digital exam options will be available to support students approved for limited time or multiple-day testing. See below for additional information on multiple-day testing.
AP coordinators need to take these steps for any student taking a digital AP Exam who’s been approved by the College Board SSD office for accommodations that make them eligible for multiple-day testing.
Full details about the steps to prepare for and administer digital AP Exams with a multiple-day testing accommodation will be provided in spring 2025.
Students approved for this accommodation may use their FM system.
Accommodations that don’t involve assistive technology or a change to exam timing or breaks don’t require a special format of the digital exam. Examples of these types of accommodations include permission for small-group testing, food/drink/medication, and permission to test blood sugar. These types of accommodations can be used by students with approvals from the College Board SSD office.
A student who has a temporary medical or physical condition (e.g., a broken hand) may request temporary assistance if it's needed to complete the exam. This process should be used only for students who don't have a disability but who need support during the test due to a temporary physical/medical condition. Requests must be submitted to SSD via the request form. Follow the instructions on the form.
The deadline for submitting requests for temporary assistance is 10 calendar days before the scheduled digital exam date.